Where are you?!! Listen... we had a Call to Action last week where we invited a number of you here to a critical debate about the future of our business. Not one showed up.

WELL, WE'RE ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGED! While there's a growing cancer in our industry, you (plural) seem bent on lining your pockets almost exclusively. Regrettably, a number of your peers are involved in activities that will surely kill our business. And when it goes to hell and you make off with your millions, we are the ones who will be left holding the bag.

Here... connect these dots: Edelman is out doing back flips trying to reduce us to direct marketers; the president of one of the leading "PR 2.0" firms says he cannot see a difference between PR and advertising anymore; there's a whole sub culture now in our business that's presently throwing communications expertise out the window and replacing it with base SEO techniques; you've got Hines proselytizing that we embrace the cartoon that is Second Life; you've got Kempner leading the way for us to legitimize blog bribery. And how 'bout the mainstream biz? You've got Torossian boasting about Girls Gone Wild, taking us from the "lying profession" to porn marketing services. It's unbelievable.

It all raises two simple questions: What won't you do for a dollar? Or preferably, when will you stand up?

Bottom line, the business has never been more pathetic and you are endorsing it with your silence. Used to be that once a year or so a major paper would variously satirize us; today, on Strumpette, there's something daily. Frankly, we cannot keep up.

IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE! Help us end the silence. Speak up now or forever hold you peace. We invite you to join us the concerned majority in an effort to reestablish the respected professional discipline of PR. No more obfuscation. We'd like each of you to stand up and show your support and especially your smarts.

TELL US! What should we do and how do you personally plan to lead us there?

"Ooo Ooo, what's the gossip?!" That seems to be the hum in the halls down here at the Image Factory. Hey, I think it's inextricably related to what we do. For the more successful publicists among us, it's in our blood.

That said, by popular demand, we are thinking of bring you "Strumpette Shorts," a regular column featuring a few tidbits that have been buzzin' around the coffee klatch.

Here's a few meant to prime the pump:

- Magnet Communications is shutting down their Hispanic Practice based out-of Corona, CA. Rumor has it, that they were not able to bring in the business to maintain the practice.

- Word is Text 100's CEO Aedhmar Hynes didn't write her last blog article. That's a BIG "no no" among the true blog evangelists; something she claims to be. We had two samples examined, one from 5/3/07, the other an earlier piece from 11/26/06. One expert states, "They don’t appear to be written by the same person but offer an interesting bookend." According to one of our editors: "The writer of the second piece is both a weak writer and something of a dullard. The writer of the first piece strikes me as somewhat more thoughtful and attuned to irony." Hmmmmmm... Aedhmar... care to comment?

- Ah... here's one we like... a lot! Ragan Communications is getting in bed with the Strumpette. I hope they're good and that it's not over in three minutes. Stay tuned, announcement soon.

- Then there's 5W PR. Oh boy. We hear Torossian may be having staffing issues. In the words of a reader: "Upper management lies to its employees, promising promotions while strategizing how to give the boot. Wonder how much faster the staff would be hemorrhaging out of that office once they knew."

- Hey, here's good news: Rubel is apparently working! Well, we think he's been given more account responsibilities. He's now barely blogging and seldom twittering. It certainly speaks to the state of the PR blogosphere if club members are now being forced to actually work for a living.

- Lastly, speaking of Edelman, not a word from Richard since we beat him in the Power 150! I'd be fuming for sure. All that money and he gets beat by a strumpette. :)

So whatdaya think? Do you want more Strumpette Shorts? Let me know.

And if you've got a lead or a hot juicy tip, do pass it along. Send them to chapel@strumpette.com. We are totally discreet. Anonymity is respected and confidentiality is totally at your discretion.

Current Lawsuit Clock

On Thursday, March 8, 2007 at 7:41 AM, Ronn Torossian, President and CEO of 5WPR, emphatically promised that he was going to sue us. No real reason, he was just irritated by our teasing him about getting in bed with pornographer Joe Francis. Anyway, Ronn gave his obscenity-laced word that we'd see the complaint in 72 hours. It's now late by

Kathleen Durazo about A Measly $2.8 Million Goes Missing, Lawsuit ResultsFri, Jul 31, 10:58:34 AMRay Durazo (the founder) sold the company to Dan in 1999. He was not involved in any of this. He (and I) found out about the lawsuit in the LA Times. In addition to embezzling this m [...]